SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — After a somewhat shaky first half of the season for the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, they are hoping to follow a similar pattern to the past two seasons.
The Niners sputtered into a Week 9 bye week for the third straight season but are hoping that the combination of more consistent play and better health will fuel another big second-half run.
“It’s the most important stretch,” quarterback Brock Purdy said before the bye. “Obviously you go back to the history of this place, like this is when it matters and you put your head down and you don’t look up to the end. So, it’ll be good for everyone to get healthy and be ready come Tampa Bay. I think that’s the main focus and point.”
San Francisco (4-4) has hit its stride in the second half the past two seasons, going on a six-game winning streak last season on the way to earning a first-round bye and closing the 2022 regular season on a 10-game winning streak.
To get back to that level this season, the Niners will need to improve from the first half in all aspects of the game. The offense must do a better job finishing off drives in the red zone and performing against man coverage. The defense needs to generate more consistent pressure and do a better job of holding onto leads.
The special teams needs to avoid the mistakes that have contributed to several losses.
But the 49ers are confident that a win over Dallas before the bye helped them get back on track and are hopeful that stars such as Christian McCaffrey and Dre Greenlaw can return from injuries down the stretch to elevate the team.
“We have everything ahead of us,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “We can be whoever we want. We have everybody that we need. In terms of players obviously we are banged up. We will get healthy after the week, hopefully get some guys back. It’s about just getting better at this point. We can’t keep getting up for a game and then dropping one and then, ’Oh, let’s try and figure out a way to win another one.'”
What’s working
Purdy's scrambles. Purdy showed flashes of his scrambling ability during the NFC title game win over Detroit last season, but has taken it to a new level this year. His 22 rushing first downs ranked fifth among all QBs in the first eight weeks of the season and is the most by any Niners QB since Colin Kaepernick had 29 in 2016.
What needs help
Special teams. The 49ers have been hampered by several special teams blunders this season. They had a punt blocked in a loss to Minnesota; allowed a fake punt, missed a field goal and allowed a long punt return to set up a game-winning score in a loss to the Rams; allowed a punt return TD against Seattle; and a long punt return that set up a TD in a loss to Kansas City.
Stock up
Rookie class. After several years of poor drafting, the Niners have gotten major contributions from this year's draft class. Third-rounder Dominick Puni has been the best of the group as a Day 1 starter at right guard but several others have made performed well. First-round WR Ricky Pearsall has shown flashes in two games after being shot in the chest the week before the opener, defensive backs Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha have played big roles early and fourth-round RB Isaac Guerendo has had two big games when Jordan Mason was slowed by a shoulder injury.
Stock down
Pass rush. The Niners always invest heavily in the defensive line but haven't gotten a big payoff this season with star edge rusher Nick Bosa not getting enough help. Injuries to Javon Hargrave and Yetur Gross-Matos have had an impact but San Francisco hasn't gotten enough out of free agent addition Leonard Floyd. San Francisco ranks tied for 18th in sacks this season after being in the top 10 in all four playoff seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan.
Injuries
McCaffrey is scheduled to return to practice this week after missing the first half of the season with Achilles' tendinitis. ... WR Jauan Jennings (hip) should be back this week after missing the past two games. ... The Niners are hopeful Greenlaw will return in the second half after tearing his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl. ... S Talanoa Hufanga (wrist) also could be back before the end of the season.
Key number
4.88. — The Niners rank 24th in average yards after catch per reception at 4.88, down from a league-leading 6.51 last season as the style of play on offense has undergone an overhaul. San Francisco led the league in that category for the previous six seasons but could get a boost with McCaffrey's return.
What’s next
The 49ers open a difficult second half with a trip to Tampa Bay on Sunday. They have back-to-back road games against Green Bay and Buffalo and a home game against Detroit in Week 17.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
